This invention generally relates to electrical connectors and more particularly to electrical connectors for printed circuit boards. Specifically, this invention relates to an improved electrical contact structure within an electrical connector for printed circuit boards whereby the electrical contact maintains electrical continuity independent of the circuit board until the circuit board achieves electrical contact therewith.
Connector assemblies for interconnecting printed circuit boards have utilized a wide variety of electrical contact structures to hold and electrically interconnect the circuit boards such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,970,353, 3,980,376 and 3,980,377. One common structure utilizes a plurality of paired contact clips or flat wires uniformly arranged in a row so as to contact and press against conductive strips on both sides of an insertable printed circuit board. In such arrangements, the contact members of each pair of wires or clips are normally not in contact with each other and therefore are not part of a circuit until the printed circuit board has been inserted and makes contact between the pair of clips. However, it is sometimes highly desirable or even necessary to maintain an electrical continuity or closed circuit between the paired contact members without the presence of a circuit board therebetween, such as for circuit board testing purposes. Therefore, in such systems some type of contact between the paired electrical contacts is necessary.
Previous designs to achieve the above generally included paired electrical contact members having a single contact point, commonly known as "shorted" contacts, whereby a continuous closed circuit is constantly maintained directly between the biased contact members until separated by the insertion of a circuit board therebetween. One problem with such a design is that the closed circuit or electrical continuity between the paired contact members is broken prior to their achieving direct electrical contact with the circuit board.
The present invention overcomes the above problem by achieving a continuous electrical continuity or closed circuit without the presence of a circuit board and maintaining such a closed circuit until the electrical contact members are engaged with and in electrical contact with the circuit board, at which point the direct circuit between the contact members ceases. Thus, the electrical continuity of the connector assembly is never broken.
It is, therefore, one object of the present invention to provide an improved electrical connector assembly for use with printed circuit boards.
Another object of the present invention is to provide improved electrical contact means within a connector assembly for printed circuit boards.
A further object of the present invention is to provide electrical contact means within a connector assembly for printed circuit boards which independently maintain electrical continuity until the circuit board is in electrical contact therewith.